Building stone or brick.



Patented May 6, I902.

J. W. LAHMANN.

BUILDING STONE 0R BRICK.

(Application filed Feb 27, 1902.)

(No Model.)

WYTNESSES: v

INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY TTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \V. LAHMANN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

BUILDlNG STONE OR BRICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,537, dated May 6,1902. Application filed February 27, 1902. Serial No. 95,944. (Nomodel.)

' To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WV. LAHMANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of 5Indiana,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in BuildingStones or Bricks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to building stones or bricks of the character thatare formed artificially, and has particular reference to stones orbricks that are designed to be laid up in walls without the use of toolsin the operations, the principal objectof'the invention being to soimprove the forms of such building material'that unskilled persons maybuild true walls thereof easily and'rapidly, and therefore cheaply, andanother object being to provide stones and bricks of this character thatwill be self-fitting and self-locking when laid up in walls.

The above -mentioned objects being at tained in my invention, the sameconsists of stones or bricks provided with matching-ribs and grooves ofnovel forms and arranged in a new and useful manner at four faces of theblocks, as particularly describedhereinafter, and pointed out in theclaims.

Referring now to the drawings, in which similar reference charactersindicate like parts, Figure 1 represents an external perspective View ofportions of walls composed of stones or bricks embodying my invention;Fig. 2, an internal perspective view of Walls similar to those abovementionedyFig. 3, a transverse vertical sectional View of a part of awall, showing my improvements therein; Figs. 4 and 5, top plan views ofoppositelyturned corner-stones formed in accord with my invention, andFig. 6 a perspective View of a line-stone formed in accord with myinvention.

In practically carrying out my invention the stones or bricks may beformed in suitable molds or formers of any suitable material with eitherplain or ornamental outer faces, the latter preferably having bevelededges a. The line stones or bricks A and the corner stones or bricks Band O are all of equal dimensions and are rectangular and preferablyoblong, the widths and heights being either equal or different indimensions, as may be desired, while the horizontally longitudinaldimensions may be either equal to or greater than the vertical or thelateral dimensions; but they are all of uniform length. Each line-blockA has one or more ribs D at one end thereof projecting from the verticaljoint-face thereof, and at the opposite end it has one or more grooves Ein the vertical jointface thereof, the ribs and the groovescorrespondingin contours one to the other and each extendinghorizontally from the inner or un finished face of'the block nearly tothe outer or finished face thereof, so that when the unlike ends of theblocks are joined together they will not only be guided to truealinement, but will also be locked against twist- -ing movements. Thecorner-blocks B are also provided'with the groovesEatoneend thereof, andhave ribs D projecting from the inner face 1), near one end thereof, soas to match the grooves E in a contiguous block A, and the blocks 0 havethe ribs Dat one end thereof and suitable grooves near the opposite .endin the inner face thereof to receive the ribs D. All of the blocks havelongitudinal grooves F in the under sides or bottoms thereof, exceptingthey'be omitted in those designed to form the bottom layer of a Wall. Bythe term longitudinal is meant l0ngi tudinally of the wall formed of-the blocks. All the blocks also have longitudinal ribs G upon theirupper sides or tops. The ribs and the grooves correspond in contour andextend from end to end. of the blocks A and from one end nearly to theopposite end of the blocks B and O. The corner-blocks havetransversely-disposed grooves F extending from the inner face Z) to thegrooves F, and also transverse ribs G extending from the face I) to theribs G, so that the transverse grooves and the ribs in one wall willmatch the longitudinal grooves and ribs of the abutting blocks and formcontinuations thereof in the other wall at right angles thereto. Inmaking the blocks'any suitable number of lines of grooves and ribs maybe made, two

usually being sufficient, while one may in some sizes suffice. It isdesigned that broad blocks be provided for thick lower Walls andnarrower ones for upper-story Walls; but, obviously, the blocks may allbe of the same width and laid up as ordinary bricks usually are laid, soas to form thicker lower Walls, in which case suitable tie-blocks may beprovided with suitable grooves and ribs to lock with those abovedescribed. Preferably the ribs and the grooves have inclined sides, asshown. v

In practical use it is designed that thin cement be used in the jointsmerely to render them air-tight and Water-tight, the grooves and ribsperforming the functions of both gages and binders. The courses are solaid that the vertical joints shall be broken, as usual, right and leftcornenblocks B and 0 being used alternately in the courses as the wallis raised, as will appear in Figs. 1 and 2.

Havingthus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure b 7 Letters Patent, is

1.=A building stone or brick having a lougitudinal groove in its bottomextending from end to end thereof, a longitudinal rib upon its topextending from end to end thereof, a horizontally-disposed groove in oneend eX- tending from the inner side nearly to the outer side or facethereof, and a rib projecting from the opposite end and extending fromthe inner side nearly to the outer side or face thereof, whereby theblocks are rendered self-alining and self-leveling When laid upon alevel and alined bottom layer.

2. A building corner stone or brick having a-longitudinal and atransverse groove in its bottom, and a longitudinal and a transverse ribupon its top integral therewith extending from one end nearly to theopposite end thereof-and thence to the inner side thereof; a horizontaltransverse groove in one end eX- tending from the inner side nearly tothe outer side thereof, and a horizontal rib on the inner face near theopposite end thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. A building corner stone or brick having a longitudinal and atransverse groove in its bottom, and a longitudinal and a transverse ribon its top integral therewith extending from one end nearly to theopposite end thereof and thence to the inner side thereof; a horizontaltransverse rib in one end extending from the inner side nearly to theouter side thereof, and a horizontal groove in the inner face near theopposite end thereof, substantially as set forth.

4. A wall formed of stones or bricks comprising line-blocks having eachalongitudinal groove in the bottom thereof and a longitudinal rib on thetop thereof, the grooves and the ribs extending from end to end of theblocks, said blocks each having also a'horizontal groove in one endthereof extending from the inner side nearly to the outer side thereof,and a horizontal rib on the opposite end thereof extending from theinner side nearly to the outer side thereof; corner-blocks each havinglongitudinal and transverse grooves in the bottom and longitudinal andtransverse ribs on the top thereof, and also a horizontal groove in oneend thereof and a horizontal rib on the inner side near the opposite endthereof, registering with the grooves and the ribs of the line-blocks;and corner-blocks having each longitudinal and transverse grooves in thebottom and longitudinal and transverse ribs on the top thereof, and alsohorizontal rib on one end thereof and a horizontal groove in the innerside near the opposite end thereof, registering with the grooves and theribs of the line-blocks, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' JOHN W. LAIIMANN.

\Vitnesses:

WM. I-I. PAYNE, E. T. SILVIUS.

